One thing we know about our Como neighbors: We get involved. The second thing is: We, as the Como Community Council, are the clearinghouse for neighbors who want to get things done.
So, a couple of things to consider when you are looking for volunteer opportunities:

If you have a specific issue or area you want to get involved in, let us know. Send us an email or give us a call at 651-644-3889. It’s very likely we can connect you with other residents looking to do the same thing.

For example, there are active groups of neighbors who work on Como Lake water quality issues, who maintain public wildflower gardens, who share seeds, who promote rain gardens and home composting, who remove invasive plants from public lands, and who help seniors.

Pick a project
As an organization, District 10 has initiatives under way to increase pedestrian safety, explore whether it is possible to establish a dog exercise area in Como Park, and to improve paths and signs within Como Park to make it easier to get to more parts of the park more easily if you are walking or biking.

We are trying to figure out how to get more neighborhood businesses into our neighborhood, how to get neighbors who live in apartment communities to share their voice in community activities, how to alleviate parking and traffic pressure from State Fair visitors, and what the best future might be for the former Sholom Home site on Midway Parkway.

We also have annual events – such as the Citywide Drop-off at the State Fairgrounds, our July Ice Cream Social, and ComoFest – that can always use one-time volunteer help. And there are city events – such as the spring Parks Clean-Up and National Night Out in August – where Como residents can make a difference locally.

Join the Board or a committee
Then, of course, we have our Board and three standing committees, which oversee much of this activity. All community members are welcome to attend and participate in committee and Board meetings.

The Board meets the third Tuesday of each month. Heck, you can even run for the Board; elections are in April (though we can get vacancies throughout the year). As for our three committees:

Environment meets on the last Wednesday of the month

Land Use meets on the first Wednesday of the month

Neighborhood Relations and Safety meets on the first Tuesday of the month

All meetings are at 7 p.m. at the Como Park Streetcar Station, which is at the northeast corner of Lexington and Horton.